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ftballfan wrote:Side note: Went to the Kmart on 68th and 131 during their going out of business sale. It was dirty and unkempt with a good chunk of the store being empty. There were security guards stationed at the entrance, probably to keep people from stealing stuff.

When a store goes out of business, the inventory is usually sold to a liquidation company for pennies on the dollar, and they take it from there. At that point, Kmart (or insert retailer name here) is out of the picture. The liquidator hires any remaining employees they need to complete the liquidation and puts them on their payroll. Any security services are also contracted by the liquidator. It's a whole different atmosphere. The liquidator is only concerned with moving product out the door and scoring as much profit as they can before they close up shop. The presentation of the store is really of no concern to them. The only thing "Kmart" about the store during liquidation is the sign on the front.

I'll never forget the time we had to sue K Mart for disturbing our business. All of their attorneys show up in really nice suits. One of the things they said is that K Mart is the only store you need. I commented that i didn't know K Mart sold Brooks Brothers suits.

jry wrote:I'll never forget the time we had to sue K Mart for disturbing our business. All of their attorneys show up in really nice suits. One of the things they said is that K Mart is the only store you need. I commented that i didn't know K Mart sold Brooks Brothers suits.

[quote="Calvert DeForest"][quote="jry"]I'll never forget the time we had to sue K Mart for disturbing our business. All of their attorneys show up in really nice suits. One of the things they said is that K Mart is the only store you need. I commented that i didn't know K Mart sold Brooks Brothers suits.[/quote]

They really said that? Wow! Talk about brass cajones![/quote]

They sure did. This was in 93 or 94. BTW, they quickly settled out of court, even before mediation.

Kmart should just stop the bleeding wounds and end it. They are pretty much just a joke now. I'm really surprised the Grayling store hasn't gotten the ax yet. I would imagine most people around here shop in Gaylord and Houghton Lake anyways.

In the 1980's a friend of mine had a family member who was a KMart district manager and made $300K, back then!

Years ago, went to Kearney,NE. There was a store of each corner. Hilltop shopping area if I remember. Walmart, Shopko, KMart and Target.
Guess who had the highest prices, and the dirtiest store? 1995 or so.

In 2001 or so, I saw the beginning of many, many closings for KMart. I have followed this through the last two decades and KMart is hemorrhaging.

Houghton, Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, Racine,WI, Winona,MN Jamestown,ND are stores that are no longer opened. KMart in some cases has stuff way better than Walmart. Clothing is an example. Different brands. Jamestown,ND had Sears AND KMart as anchor stores at the Buffalo Mall.

A guy I know is a jobber for supermarkets. ("Put our product on the shelves at eye level.") He says "it is the Walmart effect. Price, price, price."

I still like KMart. The local Walmart is where all the dregs of society go. I cannot believe the stuff in local crime reports at Walmart!

Eddie Lampert. Shame on you for letting Sears/KMart die. Not a ShopYourWay member.

Too, I am thankful for the many links that have lead me to a little more knowledge. DailyJobCuts.com was one. Thank you! Nice discussion.

Just read on dailyjobcuts.com that the Taverse City KMart along with 2 others in the state are slated to close by September.I'm assuming by Traverse City they mean the one in Garfield Township.

It is! Wow. TC won't have a Kmart anymore. Sad.

What's even sadder is that it'll be a H*** blow to Cherryland Center, formerly Cherryland Mall. They've struggled even after it converted into an outdoor shopping center.

There will only be two left in the Traverse City TV market (Charlevoix and Grayling). Big Rapids, Cadillac, Gaylord, Ludington, and Petoskey all lost their Kmart during the early 2000s bankruptcy. This current round of closings (which will likely end up in bankruptcy) has already closed Acme, Cheboygan, Houghton Lake, Manistee, Sault Ste. Marie, and Traverse City.

I am really surprised our Kmart in Grayling is still hanging on. Personally I think it's only a matter of time. Houghton Lake & Gaylord were the closest Kmarts in my area that closed. It would be interesting to see what happens in Grayling if and when Kmart does close. I'm not sure if it would be replaced by something else. I think Meijer and Walmart are too big for Grayling but it would be nice. Perhaps a Shopko would be feasible. But with ARAUCO coming to town along with lots of jobs the latter could be possible. I hardly ever shop locally...lack of variety and high prices are the chief reasons.

The last time I was at Grayling's Kmart - and this had to be over 20 years ago - it was very outdated and unorganized. I think it was one of the last Kmarts to convert to their "Big K" format since it was smaller than most Kmarts.

Sad. Sears/K-Mart. Mssrs Sears, Roebuck and Kresge must be rolling in their graves.

I predict James Cash Penney will be joining the rolling in the not so distant future.
It's not been as publicized as Kmart has, but JCP's been closing stores at a steady rate the last few years. Since 2014, they've closed over 200 stores and laid off or bought out over 10,000 employees. (figures from Wikipedia).